the eldest
noun
—used in comparing the ages of people who are members of the same family
He's the eldest of her three brothers.
Examples of the eldest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As the eldest of five, his upbringing in Gaza was defined by looking after his siblings while navigating life under Israeli occupation.
—
Boutayna Chokrane, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
His sister Deana posted on X (formerly Twitter) in June 2022 to pay tribute to the eldest of the Martin clan.
—Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024
As the eldest of Prince William’s children, George is second in line for the throne after his father.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
Born on June 15, 1947, Casolaro was the eldest son of an obstetrician and one of seven children — though two of his siblings predeceased him.
—Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Born in San Salvador in 1987, Torres is the eldest son of a civil engineer father and a mother who is an architect and fashion designer.
—Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
Ice Spice is the eldest of six siblings, including her brother Joey
Ice Spice (whose real name is Isis Naija Gaston) developed a passion for music while growing up in the Bronx in New York City with her siblings.
—Ilana Frost, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024
Under the gaze of the public eye for more than half of her life, the eldest Obama daughter is forging a path of her own outside of D.C., having traded our nation’s capitol for L.A.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 2 Feb. 2024
Growing up in the Côte d’Ivoire as the eldest of 18 siblings, Mawa McQueen found a love for cooking early, dreaming of becoming a professional chef in the U.S.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 25 Jan. 2024
Boutayna Chokrane, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
His sister Deana posted on X (formerly Twitter) in June 2022 to pay tribute to the eldest of the Martin clan.
—Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024
As the eldest of Prince William’s children, George is second in line for the throne after his father.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
Born on June 15, 1947, Casolaro was the eldest son of an obstetrician and one of seven children — though two of his siblings predeceased him.
—Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Born in San Salvador in 1987, Torres is the eldest son of a civil engineer father and a mother who is an architect and fashion designer.
—Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
Ice Spice is the eldest of six siblings, including her brother Joey
Ice Spice (whose real name is Isis Naija Gaston) developed a passion for music while growing up in the Bronx in New York City with her siblings.
—Ilana Frost, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024
Under the gaze of the public eye for more than half of her life, the eldest Obama daughter is forging a path of her own outside of D.C., having traded our nation’s capitol for L.A.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 2 Feb. 2024
Growing up in the Côte d’Ivoire as the eldest of 18 siblings, Mawa McQueen found a love for cooking early, dreaming of becoming a professional chef in the U.S.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 25 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the eldest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the eldest
Cite this Entry
“The eldest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20eldest. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share